We like Miele vacuums as much as anyone out there, but we realize that not everyone’s going to spend $1,000 on a Marin or $1,500 on a Brilliant no matter how well they clean anything. Miele gets this too, which is why they’ve got the Compact C2 line and the cheaper members of the C3 line like the Alize and Calima. We’re firmly of the opinion that the Electro+ is worth more than many of the C3s, but what about the Miele Compact C2 Quartz? We’ve reviewed it and thought it did a good job for its price range in the past, so today we’re going to answer some frequently asked questions about how to clean effectively with it and about how it compares to some of the best value canisters, including the Electro+, Alize, and Calima.

Do you get a starter bag and filter with the Quartz? And which replacement bags do you need to order?

Yes; you’ll get a starter dust bag, motor filter, and air filter. We typically recommend ordering refills with the Quartz or soon after so you aren’t scrambling to find them in stores or using rush shipping when you suddenly realize your bag is full or your filters aren’t filtering anything anymore. The Miele FJM Airclean 3D Efficiency Dust Bag contains four dust bags, a motor filter, and an air filter. You’ll change the dust bag when it’s full and the filters every four bag changes. Instead of using the regular air filter, we’d recommend upgrading to Miele’s HEPA filter, as it’s a lot more thorough for families with allergies. The Miele HEPA AirClean SF-HA 50 lasts for around 50 hours of vacuuming (12 months in a typical home) before you’ll need another. A nice thing about the filters and bags is that they’re all very cheap relative to the price of the vacuum, and it’s easy to stock up.

Can the Quartz handle carpets and rugs like the Electro+, or is it limited to hardwood flooring?

The Quartz can clean hardwood, tile, concrete, and other bare flooring with ease, but the jack-of-all trades combo head simply isn’t designed for carpeting; it will struggle with even the lowest of low-pile carpets, and medium- or high-pile carpeting will simply be out of the question. You can buy a separate turbo brush head that will bring low- and medium-pile carpets and rugs into play, but for the price differential, we think it’s a much better idea to simply buy the Electro+ instead. It comes with an electric brush head, which is capable of tackling all kinds of carpet piles and types, and it will be a much more satisfying experience for the same amount of money it would take to make the Quartz functional on carpets. As an aside, the Electro+ also comes with a Parquet head, which will do a better job on hardwood flooring than the combination head on the Quartz.

Is it possible to connect a power brush (i.e., an electric brush head) from a different Miele to the Quartz?

Unfortunately not, as this canister is designed for straight suction and doesn’t include either an electrified hose or wand or the necessary connections to power an electric brush head. The only current C2-class model capable of powering a powered brush is the Electro+. If you want a Complete C3 canister capable of using an electobrush, your cheapest options will be the Cat & Dog,  Kona, and Soft Carpet. However, while the Electro+ can be had for under $600, the aforementioned C3 canisters will cost between $800 and $1,000, making the Electro+ a much better value, especially as the price of the Quartz creeps up.

Why does the Quartz cost more than the Miele C2 Limited Edition, especially when the Limited Edition has a turbo brush?

The limited edition Mieles are only produced for limited amounts of time, as they are limited production runs that allow Miele to clear older inventory by repackaging it and sweetening the pot with additional goodies. So yes, the Miele Complete C2 Limited Edition is a better vacuum than the Quartz, but it’s not going to be available for as long as the Quartz, and its price will continue to rise as Miele’s stock dwindles. That said, we reviewed it, loved it, and recommend it heartily.

How does the Quartz compare to the cheapest Complete C3 canisters, such as the Alize and the Calima?

We’ve established that the Electro+ is a better deal than the Quartz for close to the same price, but what about the Alize and the Calima? We’ve reviewed both before and found them to be excellent deals for C3 canisters, but good C3 deals still cost significantly more than C2s. Compared to the Alize, the Quartz falls short in canister technology–there are a number of automatic modes available on the Alize that don’t show up in any other Mieles under $1,000–but in terms of cleaning power, they’re pretty much the same out of the box, as both the Alize and Quartz are hobbled by a combination floor head that’s really only useful on hard flooring. The Calima, on the other hand, is a much more capable vacuum out of the box, as it includes a turbo brush head and Parquet head while enjoying the larger reach and vacuuming capacity of a C3 model. In short, we’d choose the Calima over the Quartz, but we’d choose the Quartz over the Alize. That said, we’d choose the Electro+ over all three of them.

You can buy the Miele Compact C2 Quartz here on Amazon. If you want an electric brush head (which we recommend), you’ll either want to buy the Electro+ here or buy the Topaz here.

Canadians can buy the Electro+ here or the Titan here; unfortunately, the Quartz and Topaz are unavailable.

If you find our research on PMC helpful, you can follow our efforts to keep maniacally reviewing home cleaning tools by shopping through our links above. We promise to keep fighting the good fight against every horror children, animals, and grown, yet messy humans can inflict upon a clean home.